Heel-attaching machine.



No. 743,369; PATBNTED ov. 3, 1903.

' B. WOODWARD.

HEEL ATTAGHING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED MAIG. 1902. I

K0 MODEL.

No. 743,359. PATENTED NOV. 3, 190a.-

' E. WOODWARD.

HEEL ATTAG-HING MACHINE.

.ABPLIOATION FILED MAY 5. 1902. 7 K0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-S11E31? 2.

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NITED STATES fatented November 3, 1903*.

PATENT FFICE.

HEEL-ATTACHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 743,369, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed May 5, 1902. Serial No.105.956. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERASTUS WOODWARD, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Heel-Attaching Machines, of which the following is a specification. I

The attaching of loaded heels to boots and shoes is ordinarily done by means of a machine tended by a man and a boy, the man tending the jack and the boy supplying'the machine with the loaded heels and top lifts. Power has been applied by means of a crosshead, which either reciprocates toward and from the jack or else the cross-head has been stationary and the jack reciprocates toward and from it. In either case it has been customary to provide a heel-attaching mechanism and a top-lift-spanking mechanism upon two arms of a rotary head mounted to turn in the cross-head. In a majority of these prior machines, so far as I know, the rotary head has been mounted on a horizontal shaft in a cavity in the cross-head. This requires that these parts shall be quite bulky in order to give them sufficient strength and prevent them from springing. Moreover, while means have been provided in a driving-block for engaging some of the nails projecting from the loaded heel, so as to carry the heel from a receiving to an attaching position, when this engaging mechanism is positive in character it has required that the nails used for the purpose be collared nails, so that the engaging mechanism may engage with the collar on the nail. In no machine, so far as I know, previous to that now to be described has there been any means provided to hold the loaded heel in place which was equally effective with cut and Wire nails.-

My present invention is intended to overcome the defects above referred to; and it consists in a heel-attaching machine having an oscillating head so constructed that the heel-attaching block or the top-lift spanker, as the case may be, when in its attaching position is located immediately beneath the center of the head and bears directly against.

a portion of the head during the attaching operation, so that the heel is attached by firm and direct pressure, with no waste of power, with no lost motion, and with no chance for springing. I

It also consists of an attaching-block pro vided with holders for engaging two or more of the nails of the loaded heel of such construction that when the heel is placed on the attaching-block it will be held there positively until released by the direct pressure of the heel upon the holders during the attachment of the heel to the shoe on the jack.

It also consists in various details of construction, which will'be referred to below.

Machines of this general class are so well known that in illustrating my invention in .head and attaching-block. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the heel-attaching block. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 shows the relation of the loaded heel and one of the holders diagrammatically before theheel has struck the jack and work, Fig. 7beingasimilar view after the heel has struck the jack and work and before the driver comes in contact with the nail.

I will describe my machine as if the crosshead were movable and the jack stationary; but it is evident that these relations may be reversed.

A is the cross-head, mounted to be reciprocated vertically by mechanism acting on the rods B so as to move the attaching mechanism toward and from the jack, the position of the last on the jack being illustrated at G. This cross-head is provided with a conical bearing D integral with it, on whichbearing fits and turns an oscillating head E, having, preferably, on opposite sides of it a heel-attaching block F and a top-lift-attaching block G. These blocks, while they difier because of their difiering functions, are similar in having dovetails e, which fit into corresponding in that each has a set-screw e to hold it in The oscillating head, as shown, is a conicalshell which fits over the conical bearing D,

.being held in place against it by means of a stud ET, to which it is fastened by a pin 6 the stud E having a threaded hole in its far ther end to receive the screw E. A handle E is provided to turn the head E, being fastened to the stud E by the set-screw E The collar E serves as a bearing between which and the front surface of the cross-head A the handle may be turned to turn the head E. The head E is provided with notches which engage a latch 6 pinned at e to the rear side of the cross-head and held in position to latch the rotary head by a spring a, one end of which is attached to the latch e and the other end to the cross-head at 6 The pin e extends through the cross-head and on the front side has a thumb-piece a by means of which the latch may be lifted from the front of the machine.

6 is a stop to limit the throw of the latch.

As it has proved more convenient in practice never to rotate a head completely around in machines of this character, but for one of the attendants to partially rotate it in one direction and the other attendant to reverseit, I prefer to make one, 6 of the walls forming each notch higher than the other,e, so that when the head is turned this higher wall 6 will engage the latch and stop the head positively from further rotation.

It will be noted that in the construction shown the latch is located to engage the up per side of the rotary head at a position diametrically opposite the location of the operating-block, so that the pressure caused by the engagement of the loaded heel or top lift with the last will never tend to throw out the latch or turn the head.

The attaching-block consists of a casting F, having a face-plate F attached thereto by screws f.

The means for holding the loaded heel to the attaching-block are shown at H H and their construction will be understood by reference to Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive. Each consists of a tube h, which tube is slit part way down its length, as shown by the lines h, so that two jaws h h are formed, which may be pressed together to hold one of the nails projecting from the loaded heel. This tube is set into a cavity h, so that the jaws project through an opening in the faceplate F The means shown for pressing the jaws together comprises a conical shoulder h on the outside of each jaw 71 k which engages a conical surface 716 on the face-plate F of the attaching-block. In the center of each cavity 71 is located a driver 71 the end of which may be flush with the outer surface of the face-plate F if the nails are to be driven shoulders h on the jaws 71272. to hold the tube h in its normal position, as shown. This spring h is a convenient means of maintaining a proper relation between the conical shoulders 71 and the conical surface h. The face-plate F is provided with the usual number of face-drivers F with two of these gripping devices H H located, preferably, at opposite sides thereof. More than two of these gripping devicesmay be used if deemed necessary.

I prefer to make the tubes h in the following manner: The tube is first drilled with a hole large enough to allow the driver to slide easily through it, the driver being usually but slightly larger in gage than the nail. The outer end is then slit to within, say, onequarter of an inch of the inner end, (provided the tube be, say,about two inches long,) so as to form two jaws which shall have a reasonable amount of spring. The jaws are then clamped together and the drill or a reamer of the same gage is introduced from the un slit end, and the opening is again bored to within, say, one-quarter of an inch of the slit end, so that when the clamps are removed and the jaws are allowed to spring to their normal position a cavity will be left between them except Within one-quarter inch of their ends. The tube and its spring is then placed in the cavity 7L and the face plate F is screwed into position.

The'operation of my machine is as follows: The boy standing at the rear of the machine claps a loaded heel, with its projecting'nails, onto the attaching-block, each gripping device H II receiving a nail-head, the other nail-heads registering with the face-drivers F The nails spring the jaws 72 h apart slightly as they are pushed back by the entering nail, and it will be noted that nails having once entered between the jaws 71. it any tendency to pull them out to release the loaded heel will pull the conical shoulders 71 of the jaws against the conical surfaces h in the face-plate, and so increase the grip of the jaws on the nails. As a result, it will never be possible (as has been possible in some of the machines of which I have knowledge) for the loaded heel to be thrown off from the head in its transit from a receiving to an attaching position. The head is then turned, the latch 6 being first released, so that the attaching-block is in the position shown in Fig. 1, and the cross-head and the jack are brought together, so that the loaded heel comes in contact with the heel-seat of the shoe. Upon the further application of pressure the heel is compressed against the gripping devices H H first into the position shown in Fig. 6, Where only contact between the lower end of the jaws and the heel J is shown and the nailj is still gripped, and then into the position shown in Fig. 7, where the heel J has caused the tube to recede slightly. When this receding operation begins, the jaws begin to open owing to their elasticity, and they release their grip on the nails; but it is not until after the jaws have been opened to their fullest extent that the driver strikes the head of the nail, and when this takes place a clear passage has been formed, so that the nail is free to be driven by the driver. When the cross-head and the jack separate again, the

man who is tending the attaching operation depresses the thumb-piece 6 thus elevating the latch (2 and by means of the handle E turns the head and brings the top-lift attacher with the top lift over the shoe. The bringing together of the cross-head and the jack causes the attachment of the top lift.

It will be noted from Fig. 3 that the line of pressure through the attaching-block coincides with the middle vertical line of the crosshead, so that the size and strength of the cross-head may be materially reduced from that in other machines now in use. It will also be noted that the head E bears directly on the cross-head, so that there can be no chance for any lostmotion, and if at any time it is found that through wear the parts are loosening at all by setting up the screw E, which holds the stud E to the cross-head, the conical bearings will be brought into closer relation. This is a great improvement over any machine of which I have any knowledge. Moreover, this is the first machine, so far as I am aware, wherein the heel-attaching block faces rearward when the heel is to be placed upon it and faces downward when it is to be attached thereto.

I have described the holding-jaws with some particularity; butI do not mean to confine myself to this exact construction of the jaws, although this construction which I have described seems to me the simplest and best for this purpose.

It will be noted that neither the driver nor the holder performs any function whatsoever in releasing the nails except by pressure exerted between the loaded heel and the end of the jaws. The jaws will open whether there is any driver present or not. I have found it desirable to make one of the jaws, 72 slightly longer than the other, h When the parts are so constructed, theheel will first strike the jaw 71? during the attaching process, and the gripping mechanism being thus caused to recede slightly the jaw h will have the opportunity to spring out and release the nail instead of being clamped, as it would be if both jaws engaged the surface of the heel at the same time and with the same force.

I have shown my invention in its preferred form; but it is evident that its details of construction are capable of change without departing from the spirit of my invention. Moreover, the cross -head and conical head maybe used with other heeling systems than that described, in which case it should be provided with blocks adapted in number and construction for the purpose.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a heel-attaching machine,across-head having a turnable attaching block carrier mounted thereon and carrying one or more attaching-blocks, the axis of said turnable carrier being at an angle oblique to the vertical, whereby each attaching-block may be brought intoposition under the middle of said cross-head to bear against the under side thereof and may be turned into a receiving position facing outward from said cross-head 'to facilitate the reception of the article to be attached, as set forth.

I 2. In a heel-attaching mechanism a crosshead provided with a conical bearing-surface, one portion of which lies at right angles to the line of pressure of said cross-head and having a conical head adapted to turn upon said bearing, said conical head being provided with heel-attaching means.

3. In a heel-attaching mechanism a crosshead having a conicalbearin g, the under portion of which is horizontal, a head mounted upon said bearing and adapted to be oscillated thereon, and having its axis coincident with the axis of said conical bearing, said cross-head being provided with heel-attaching mechanism, as described.

t. In a heel-attaching machine a cross-head having a turnable carrier mounted thereon, the axis of said carrier being oblique to the line of attaching pressure, said carrier having mounted thereon one or more attachingbl'ocks, whereby a block when in attaching position is directly under the center of said cross-head, and when in receiving position is elevated above its attaching position and to one side of said cross-head, in combination with a last-supporting mechanism and means whereby said cross-head and said last-supporting mechanism are reciprocated with relation to each other, as described.

5. In a heel-attaching mechanism, a cross-' head having a conical bearing,a head mounted upon said bearing and adapted to be turned thereon, the axis of said head being coincident with the axis of said conical bearing, a latch mounted upon said cross-head and notches mounted upon said conical head, one wall of each notch being higher than the other, whereby it will serve to engage said latch and form therewith a stop to control the movement of said conical head, as described.

6. In a heel-attaching mechanism a crosshead having a conical bearing, a conical shell carrying attaching mechanism and located to turn on said bearing, its axis being coincident with the axis of said conical bearing and comprising a stud having means of adj ustment as described, whereby the wear between said conical shell and said conical hearing may be taken up.

7. In a heel-attaching mechanism a block adapted to receive and attach a loaded heel,

said block being provided with one or more gripping devices each adapted to receive a projecting end of the nail, and means whereby each gripping device is clamped to hold its nail more tightly the greater the force applied to withdraw it, and to release the nail by contact between such gripping device and the surface of the heel, as described.

8. A heel-attaching block having a cavity, a driver located in said cavity, a pair of spring gripping-jaws in the cavity havinga tendency to spring outward, and means whereby said jaws are normally held in gripping position,

.said means being constructed to yield upon engagement of the extremity of said jaws with the heel in process of attachment, whereby said jaws move from their gripping position and spring apart, as described.

9. In a heel-attaching mechanism, an attachin g-block provided with a cavity, a driver located in said cavity, a nail-gripping device comprising spring gripping-jaws having conical shoulders, a plate covering the end of lowing them to be moved rearwardly into an open position, one of the jaws being longer than the other, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my name this 28th day of April, 1902.

1 ERASTUS WVOODWARD. Witnesses:

GEORGE O. G. 'COALE, M E. FLAHERTY. 

